Giveaway
We live in a teeny tiny house. Tiny, as in Snippet's nursery will one day return to its true identity as a walk-in closet. We have no actual closets in our house, no attic and no basement. We have stuff crammed everywhere, and engage in very frequent purges to keep the stuff from eating us alive. You can imagine my dilemma as Snippet began to outgrow his baby gear, equipment, toys, etc. Even though we are undecided about what (if any) plans we have for future children, I had always assumed I would keep everything to frugally re-use it if ever needed. Once I actually had to find room for the bassinet, the jumperoo, the bouncy seat, the play mat, both swings, the infant car seat, etc, etc, etc, I realized I couldn't keep any of it. I stashed it wherever I could for awhile, but now that Snippet is nearly 18 months old, the outgrown stuff has become a mountain of blinky lights, colorful dangly toys, harnesses and velcro, and simply must go. Not only that, but I discovered that the carseat (which I had stored in the outdoor shed, thinking it was made of tougher fabric that could stand the heat and cold) was already showing signs of mildew on the straps. As difficult as it would be to give everything away, it would be so much worse to watch it all slowly rot in my selfish attempt to hold onto it. The first batch of newborn clothing that I gave away to a friend left me in tears for several nights. I sorted through that bin over and over again, trying to decide which articles were absolutely non-negotiably staying. I justified the Keeps as items that were especially important to me---things that Snippet might one day pass along to his children, even. I tried to keep the Keeps pile small, though it was arger than it really should have been. I still ended up with a pretty big bin of Giveaways, and somehow pulled myself together when I gave it to my friend. I joyfully smiled as I loaded it into her car, though I was tearing up again as I turned away. If I could give away the clothes,...